Russia steps up role in battle

Warplanes join ground forces in fight against rebels

New York Times

Published
9:50 pm EDT, Wednesday, October 7, 2015

RETRANSMISSION TO ADD RESTRICTION - EDITORIAL USE ONLY -- In a photo released by the Russian Ministry of Defense, the flight crew of an Su-30 fighter are seen at their air base near Latakia, in northwest Syria. Russian officials say they are using the fighters and bombers at the base to target the Islamic State, though their bombs have mainly hit territories held by other insurgents who oppose Syrian President Bashar Assad, RussiaOs ally. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via The New York Times) - BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE - - EDITORIAL USE ONLY - ORG XMIT: NYT3 less

RETRANSMISSION TO ADD RESTRICTION - EDITORIAL USE ONLY -- In a photo released by the Russian Ministry of Defense, the flight crew of an Su-30 fighter are seen at their air base near Latakia, in northwest Syria. ... more

Photo: RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE

Photo: RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE

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RETRANSMISSION TO ADD RESTRICTION - EDITORIAL USE ONLY -- In a photo released by the Russian Ministry of Defense, the flight crew of an Su-30 fighter are seen at their air base near Latakia, in northwest Syria. Russian officials say they are using the fighters and bombers at the base to target the Islamic State, though their bombs have mainly hit territories held by other insurgents who oppose Syrian President Bashar Assad, RussiaOs ally. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via The New York Times) - BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE - - EDITORIAL USE ONLY - ORG XMIT: NYT3 less

RETRANSMISSION TO ADD RESTRICTION - EDITORIAL USE ONLY -- In a photo released by the Russian Ministry of Defense, the flight crew of an Su-30 fighter are seen at their air base near Latakia, in northwest Syria. ... more

Photo: RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE

Russia steps up role in battle

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Beirut

Backed by Russian warplanes, the Syrian army began a ground offensive Wednesday against rebel forces in northern Hama province, while the Kremlin said it had fired 26 cruise missiles on Syrian targets from naval vessels in the Caspian Sea.

Although in its early stages, the coordinated assault reveals the outline of a new alliance between Syria and its main allies — Hezbollah, Iran and Russia — said an official with that alliance, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the parties had not detailed the coordination of military strategy.

The offensive aims to retake areas gained in the spring by an insurgent coalition, the Army of Conquest, that threatened the government-held coastal province of Latakia, the homeland of President Bashar Assad and fellow members of his Alawite sect. It was the first time since those spring setbacks that the government's forces had moved "from defense to offense," the official said.

It was not immediately clear whether the cruise missiles hit targets in the area of the Hama assault, though there are some indications they did. One monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported that at least four ground-to-ground missiles were used in the area. Those missiles, used by the government, would be hard to distinguish from the sea-launched missiles or from some types of airstrikes.

There were also airstrikes elsewhere in Syria, according to SANA, the state news agency, which said that Syrian and Russian warplanes worked together to target Islamic State fighters in Bab, a city long held by the Islamic State in eastern Aleppo province.

Russian officials said the sea-launched missiles targeted the Islamic State, but Western officials say the great majority of their attacks have been directed against rebel groups fighting Assad. There were no reports of large explosions in Islamic State-held parts of Syria farther east, making it less likely that the cruise missiles went there.

"That we fired from the territory of the Caspian Sea, at a range greater than 1,500 kilometers, and hit targets precisely, this shows high qualifications," Putin said, referring to naval crew members. Shoigu said no civilians had been injured in the attack.

The ground operation will eventually include new contingents of fighters from Hezbollah, a Shiite militia, as well as the current configuration of Syrian forces backed by Russians in the air, according to the official with the alliance. In addition, Iranian military advisers have long been active on the ground in Syria and would most likely be involved in such a crucial operation.

Speaking in tones of new confidence, the official called the Russian intervention a game-changing development that put to rest any doubts about Russia's commitment to Assad, who has managed to cling to power despite a civil war that is now in its fifth year.

The ground offensive aims to push insurgents out first in northern Hama province, where the attacks Wednesday took place, later moving north into Idlib province, according to the official and to diplomats and analysts in the region. Probable targets include Jabal al-Zawiya, a mountainous area that insurgents have held for years, and Jisr al-Shughour, a city in Idlib province, which was captured by insurgents in March — a military victory that was considered an ominous sign for the Syrian government.

The Army of Conquest is an Islamist faction that includes the Nusra Front, al-Qaida's Syrian affiliate, as well as more secular groups